Sunday 24 May 2015

Psalm: Psalm 104

Background

Today the Church celebrates the feast of Pentecost, the day onwhich Jesus' disciples were transformed, inexplicably, from a bunchof disillusioned and frightened people whose leader had recentlybeen executed in a shameful way, to a powerhouse of energy who weresuddenly out there winning enthusiasts to Jesus' way.

Luke, the Gospel writer who also gives us the sequel - the Actsof the Apostles, explains what happened at that time as anextraordinary outpouring of God's Spirit. To convey the force ofthe occasion, he reminds us of the story of creation, found rightat the beginning of our Bibles (Genesis 1:1-2). There are several ways oftranslating the description of God's creative spirit in thatnarrative, the spirit that "swept over the face of the waters", thechaos from which all came to be. Some see the Spirit as a kind ofbird, hovering or brooding over creation. But others read it as a'mighty wind from God' (or even a 'Godalmighty wind'!), and that isclearly the echo that Luke was searching for. This new creationthat became the birth of the Church begins with the sound of "therush of a violent wind" (v. 2). Nothing tame about it; it wasawesome and it sent them out to prophesy; the Spirit seized thedisciples as it had often seized particular prophets in the earlierstory of God's people (eg Amos7:15).

And people responded - but not all in the same way. The crowds(the details of whose ethnic diversity are lovingly listed by Lukein verses 9-11) were somehow able to 'get' what the disciples weresaying. Or perhaps they just gathered that something deeplyexciting and challenging was being announced. On the other hand,while there were many who thought there was something going on thatneeded to be understood, there were also those who felt that theyhad seen this kind of behaviour before, coming out of a pub atclosing time. There is no-one quite so comically determined to betaken seriously as someone who has definitely over-imbibed and hasreached the stage of pontificating gibberish.

Overall, the behaviour of the disciples was not very British. Itwas not a carefully planned strategy. It arose out of surrenderingto something and someone - the Spirit of God - which took overtheir own feeble efforts and gave them a voice and somethingpowerful to say.

To Ponder

• When, if ever, could someone have mistaken you for being drunkon new wine, when you were explaining what you believe in?

• Pray that you may be able to open your heart and surrender tothe love and power of God, and to let yourself be moved by it.